Podcasts

The Original Issues 1 & 2

In a few days, artist and writer Sean Miller will be releasing the print copy of issue #2 of his indie comic, The Original. Lucky for us, digital copies were available for purchase days before allowing us to take an early look into a world run by dictators who present themselves as “superheroes.” For the purposes of this review I’ll be lumping issues 1 and 2 together.

The Echelon (afore mentioned superhero dictators) have used their power and influence to force their vision of Utopia on the citizens of Earth. To enter this Utopia you must first report to an evaluation center. It sounds to me like one of those “check in but don’t check out” situations as people who submit to evaluation are never heard from again. Things have gotten so dire that an aging superhero is convinced to once again don his mask and crest.

This is a really sold read. It harkens back to how I perceived superheroes as a kid without the cheese.

While an aging superhero is the headliner in this book, it’s Ms. Crowley and her cat Alexander that steal the show. Crowley appears to be an elderly and crotchety building superintendent, but we quickly learn that appearances aren’t everything.

While there is no color inside the books, I find the art to be really good. Miller has definitely mastered the full page splash. Also, I love the cover for book #2. Villalobos’s use of color is too rad.

This story arc is one that I think we readers can get a lot of mileage out of without it turning into a moldy oldie. Most privately published indie books don’t have the most consistent release schedules. I would suggest readers keep back issues handy. Sometimes you have to read back an issue to remember what the heck is going on.